Mind Games
by Nicole Prince
Summary: Separated by destiny, a Sith Lord looks for his mate. His lover, an Imperial Agent, thick with his child seeks out a union with the ant-beings to secure the survival of her offspring.
1. Chapter 1

****Title:**** Mind Games**  
><strong>Author:<strong>** Darksaviour03**  
><strong>Game:<strong> **Star Wars: The Old Republic**  
><strong>characterspairing:** ****  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> **STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks in the United States and/or in other countries of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © 2011 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. I have made no profit from this fan fiction.

**Mind Games**

Separated by destiny, a Sith Lord looks for his mate. His lover, an Imperial Agent, thick with his child seeks out a union with the ant-beings to secure the survival of her offspring.

Mind Games takes place after Chapter One and before Chapter Two in the videogame: Star Wars: the Old Republic.

STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks in the United States and/or in other countries of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © 2011 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. I have made no profit from this fan fiction.

**I**

Five months, Imperial Agent Prescost thought to herself. Five months had passed since she had learned the awful truth. Five months ago she had wished she had died along side of him. She scoffed, looking up at the ceiling.

Various killik's rejoiced around her. Their antennas vibrated with excitement. It was suppose to be a joyful time because her companion had found one of his lost clans. She should have been happy for him and them because she knew how hard he had searched to find the lost colonies.

Yet, it did not matter to her because of the personal events that unfolded five months before. She was a happy woman then. In fact, she didn't think that she had experienced the blinding joy as she had then. The Imperial Agent had a man, a Sith, who would die for her.

There was a slight problem. While he was a man, he was Sith even more. He did not love her. Yes, Sith could feel things. It was one of the most heated debate between both of them. She knew from experienced that he felt betrayal very deeply, and he destroyed those that betrayed him. If he had loved her, he never told her.

It was too late for any of those thoughts now, her mind protested. She traveled with the zabrak, Adaki, exclusively. Through their tribulations, she fell hard for him. However, it was not met to be. Grief clutched at her heart as if it thrust its hands inside of her chest and withdrew the broken organ.

Reaching down, she placed her hand on her slightly swollen stomach. The bump was not large enough to be seen yet, and the sickness had subsided. The first one who noticed her illness was Adaki. At that time, she merely passed it off as some kind of illness that she would have been over quickly. He was taken from her shortly afterward.

The only other person who noticed was the Rattataki that she traveled with since Hutta. The woman was always perceptive, but she too was fooled by Prescost's deception. The first time they talked about it was the last time they talked about it.

"Your aura dims as if it is a splendid star reaching the end of its life," a masculine voice penetrated her deeply within her own thoughts.

She looked up into the inky eyes of the only companion she trusted. He was the only friend that she had that knew her entire background. Her lover would have called her foolish and weak, but she needed someone to confine to. Prescost could not trust Adaki with her emotions. The Sith would use them for his own advantage.

In fact, because of the changes of her pheromones, he was the only one who knew what the Rattataki and Adaki did not. Cipher 18, Agent Prescost, or Cynthia Lee Giovanni as she was originally called, was with the Sith's child.

Anguish struck her again, carving deeply within her heart. It mattered not. Their child would grow up without knowing its true lineage. The Dark Council had seen to that. One of its leaders had murdered her love. Adaki would not know the bliss of their offspring growing inside of her.

Of course, she thought, he would not care. Adaki did not love her when he was alive. Why would he love her now that he was dead?

–

**II.**

"Don't give me excuses, you pile of scrap," Adaki growled at his ship droid. "I don't care what you have to do. Find her!"

"Master! I wish I could," 2V-R8 lamented. "She is an agent of Imperial Intelligence, as you know, I'm sure. They go to great lengths to make it difficult to track their agents. I am doing everything in my power to find her. Please don't deactivate me!"

"I'm tempted!" the zabrak seethed. He paced, feeling fury at how she slipped through his grasp. Adaki knew she thought he was dead. Everyone thought that the worthless Darth had killed him. The problem with that was that no one got the better of the zabrak. "I told you not to give me excuses."

"Hey, captain," his pirate friend called from the cockpit.

Adaki walked in, nodding his head to signify that he wanted to know what the other man wanted.

"If you're that dead set on finding your girl, I might have a suggestion on how to go about it."

"Go on," Adaki droned.

"I got a friend on Nar Shaddaa, can find anyone you need found. He specializes in slicing into the holonet. If your girl left any trail at all, he should be able to find it."

"Better than putting up with this failure of a droid," the zabrak sneered. "Take us to Nar Shaddaa, then."

"You got it."

**III.**

Adaki waited on the ship once they had gotten to Nar Shaddaa. He hadn't really wanted to go back to the Smuggler's Moon, and it was convenient that the space pirate didn't need him to come along. Not only did he not wish to wander through the city world, but he also didn't want to show any weakness that could be turned against him. He still controlled the cult in the slums, and he wouldn't know at all times who might be watching him.

Any perceived weakness would be seen for what it was, and it would be taken care of. It was why he hid his emotions for the agent so well. There was a select few who knew their true relationship. They knew better to rise against Adaki. He would put down a rebellion inside of his ship like a feline swatting at a fly.

Finally, after a good wait, the pirate returned to the ship.

Adaki glanced at him as he entered the common area. Since his captivity, he didn't like being kept in suspense. This was one of the most important events in his life. He felt his stomach flip over on its side at that thought.

"Her last transmission was from Alderaan," the pirate began. He sat down in a seat across from the crimson zabrak. "She might not be there, but that's the last place she was. At least, we could pick up her trail there."

Hope was a funny thing. It swelled inside of his chest, eclipsing the seething rage and darkness. He knew that he was walking a fine line with Prescost. Yet, he could not stop from following her. She was in his blood.

"We're better off than we were before," Adaki said. "Good job. You are quickly showing me that it wasn't a mistake to allow you to come along."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**I.**

Nine months and change had passed since their separation when Adaki had finally landed on Alderaan. He had hoped to be done with that world after his most recent sojourn into Castle Panteer to rid the planet of its impostor king.

He had remembered how his companion acted when he relieved the former ruler's lower torso from his upper. The other man begged, pleading pathetically for his life. In the end, Adaki did not really care about the gold that the other promised. Adaki cherished the screams as his saber descended into the flesh of his enemy. Oh, he thought, how _she_ protested the injustice. Yet, there was something lurking deep in her gaze that she kept hidden from everyone.

Cipher Agent 18, or Prescost as he affectionately called her, had a darker side inside of her. She would protest his frank observance. In fact, she would tell him that he was imagining things that weren't there. Still, Adaki mused, it did not stop the sparkle in her eyes when he slaughtered someone needlessly.

Reaching his hand up, he stroked his chin. It wouldn't bother him in the slightest to see the planet reduced to an asteroid field. After all, it was where Prescost met _him_, the other man. Adaki didn't know what she saw in her friend. Yes, he was helpful in her mission.

Growling lowly, his lips peeled from his upper gums. Several mottled teeth appeared from inside. The left corner of his upper lip twitched as if it were a slug writhing from salt being poured onto it. Despite all his precautions, he was brought back to the cold, snowy peaks and killik infested marshes.

Around the table with the large, bulbous, metallic intercom embedded into it, his two companions sat. He knew the ancient dashade disapproved of him being there. The ancient being's large talons crossed before his cerulean and sanguine chest.

"I'm going alone," he told them. "I will hear no protests on that issue."

"Do you even have any idea where she might be?" the pirate drawled.

Fury spiked inside of the man. Becoming blind to his purpose slightly by the other man's comment, he narrowed his gaze at his friend.

"Or are you just going to wander around the planet aimlessly?"

"A Sith is never aimless," Adaki responded as if he was a predator and someone had just poked him with a stick. "I know where she is. She's with that bug-man. He took her back to his hive. I can feel it."

**II.**

_You will need to go to Taris_, the voice echoed inside of her head. She didn't know how he implanted himself inside of her. The only thing that she knew was this man was not alive. Prescost had seen him die personally. She was the cause of his destruction.

She shifted her gaze to the small creature in her arms. Six grueling months had resulted in this little creature in her arms. Her daughter was the smallest infant that she had ever seen. At her birth, the child's crimson skin was covered with light, soft hair. In fact, she could not even open her eyes. Her eyelids were fused shut like a docking door.

Guilt ate at the woman's stomach as agonizing heat flushed in her cheeks. Prescost knew her child's early appearance was her own fault. She had been worried after she was responsible for the deaths of thousands . . . No! Her mind screamed at her. It could have been the deaths of millions of the Empire's citizens. It was a product of terrorism, but she could not deny that it left a mark on her.

Prescost was quickly tiring of everything. She was exhausted of the politics of the Empire, the cruelty of the Republic, and the duplicity of Imperial Intelligence. Endless time spanned before her, and, in her young life, she was tired of the world around her.

The only worthwhile thing in her life was this tiny person. All of the medical droids in the city had said that her daughter would die within two weeks. They had forsaken her as if she had single-handily destroyed the emperor and the Empire in one fiery act.

In truth, if it was not for her father's heritage, the young zabrak would have died. Their race possessed two hearts. Without the additional one, she would have never made it. It would seem like Adaki was protecting both of his girls from beyond.

"I know," she told the whispers of the past. It was true. She didn't know how much longer she could withstand the call underneath her flesh. It urged her to travel to Taris, and she could not disobey.

Prescost wanted to scratch out the implant and leave it in a bloody mess on the floor. Many violent images crossed her mind on how to remove the simple device, and none of them would come true. It would seem like her enemies had been planning for that, too.

_They will not wait. Their kind never do._

Lowering her arm, she caressed one of the small nubs on the half-zabrak's head. She knew from her brief talk with Adaki that the tiny protrusions would develop into vestigial horns later in the other girl's life. Her head would be crowned with many of them. It spoke of her father's lineage.

Grief sparked inside of her and ignited like lightning crackling from _his_ fingertips. Because her child came early, she did not allow herself to grieve. She bottled up the emotions. There were times when the pain came over her and hurt her, cutting her like the vicious beam of his saber.

Tears threatened to spill from her cheek onto the face of her precious offspring. Her chest tightened as if she had been thrust into a tomb. The musty air surrounded her, constricting and coiling around the young girl and her mother.

The agent stilled, feeling a sensation come over her. She was never force sensitive. Prescost knew she was completely opposite of what a force sensitive was. It was one of the reasons she always wondered what Adaki was doing with her.

By experience, she understood a few things about Sith. A high ranking Sith almost never married for love. She was convinced that emotion did not exist for them. Every single action that they took was because they lusted for power. To couple and produce a child with a person who was not force sensitive would be diluting his power-base.

She remembered what he had once said about when he would get an apprentice. He had implied that he would try to kill him or her, repeatedly, to make them stronger. Then, if they survived long enough, they would gain enough strength, and they would kill him. It was then that she had declared all Sith as insane. Which he responded with, that it was what it was and the weak were not suffered to live.

With Adaki, it was different. She seemed to know where he was or when he had landed on a planet. If she had knew couples who had been together for quite some time, she would have known that it was like that with a rare bonding. Prescost couldn't deny that she felt a connection with the zabrak male. It had started with her as his slave and her foolish mission.

**III.**

"Vector," she called to her friend, the Dawn Herald, as she strode into the former throne room of the previous rogue noble family.

The tiny creature in her arms squirmed. Her tiny lips puckered in a grimace, reminiscent of her father.

Longing shot through Prescost, forcing her to remember her brief lover. She didn't know how he would react to the news that he was a father. If he was on the planet (if he was alive), he would surely be searching for her.

"We live to serve."

"Despite my best sources telling me different, Adaki's alive. No, I can't explain it, my friend. I know he is."

Vector didn't say anything. He and the hive was contemplating what she said. Her time with the killiks had taught her what a diverse species they were. Like humanity, there were peaceful ones and not so peaceful ones. Some hives forced others to join; others, did not.

"He is searching for me. I know, he knows that I am here. It's the most logical conclusion. How he found me, I don't."

Other creatures, killik larva, scurried around the room, leaving thick, clear mucus in their wake. She made a mental note to keep her child away from the unsanitary conditions.

"He won't storm the nest. Yet. There is no need to. I know how he works. He will scout out the best defenses, seeing our weaknesses. Then, he will strike. To protect the nest, and her, I will give him what he wants. Me."

"What is it you need of us?" Vector asked, taking the only thing that mattered to Prescost, Adaki and her child. He cradled the small infant in his arms. Her child, Kyic of the Oroburo nest, would become a symbol of union.

"I need two things. I need to know that he is indeed alive and I need recon on him. Knowing what he is capable of, I will not go blindly out to meet my former lover. Send the scouts out; shadow him. Above all, protect her."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**I.**

Adaki could sense the killiks following him. He hadn't seen them. When the insects didn't want to be found, they were increasingly difficult to track. Any lesser man wouldn't have been able to detect them, but Adaki was anything but a lesser man. The Sith could feel the disturbance of their presence, and he could sense them communicating. It spoke volumes to him that they did not attack him yet.

At once, he knew they were sent from Vector's nest. The bug-man had no reason but one to be spying on him. He could only make two conclusions from that simple fact. They had joined Prescost, and they were feeling out his weaknesses.

As her lover, Prescost belonged to him. Even though their relationship was started by her ruse, the simple fact was that it progressed more than that. He cared for her.

Adaki snarled, and his dark lips pulled upwards. Caring for someone was a very strange feeling for him. If he were to be honest with him, the truth of it was that he cared for Prescost more than he cared about anyone else. He hadn't really cared about anyone before her. She was the only one whose death would affect him.

Because of the rare emotions she ignited in him, he would possessively claim her until she or he died. He would cut down any man who would challenge his claim of her. Wrath spiked inside of him again, and the fury ebbed and flowed like waves against a shoreline.

Upon meeting Vector, he could sense the other man coveted Adaki's ownership over Prescost. He should have dealt with it at the time. If he had listened to his gut, Vector would be lying dead many months ago.

However, he listened to the agent's pleas. Adaki realized long ago that she created a complex conundrum inside of him. She was both his strength and his weakness. At the time, he would have done anything to please her. He was a foolish man, then.

If Vector did not send them out, Prescost did. Though he couldn't help but notice the depth of her awareness of his presence, he didn't like to be followed. He wondered how she knew when he had arrived on the planet. Adaki knew she was not force-sensitive. Even if she was, she did not receive the depth of training as he did.

He shook his head. Because he needed to find her, he was wasting his time foolishly by thinking of how she knew he was there. She sensed his arrival. That was that, he thought. There was no use debating the intricacies of Prescost's thoughts. Even to him, the woman was an enigma.

Lifting his arm, he waved his right hand in a half-circle before his face. His fingertips twitched in anticipation as he moved. The Force washed over him as if it were lava flowing over his body, cleansing his presence.

Feeling confident, he knew he would not be seen, heard, or smelled. It was the culmination of years of rigorous training in the ways of the Force. While he was a quick student, it took some time to be adept at the art of hiding oneself from the enemy.

Enemy, he thought, grimly. Was that what it had come to with the only woman in the galaxy he wanted? He seethed at the thought of Prescost being someone who wanted to kill him. It did not matter to him what she wanted. Even if he had to drag her by her dark hair, she would return to his side. Still, he wanted to catch Prescost by surprise, even if she knew he was coming.

Finally, he came to the entrance to the cave where she had first contacted Vector.

A few killiks stood guard, holding whatever weapon that they managed to liberate off of the Cortess grounds. Two held blaster rifles; the other two, pistols. One leaned against a long, vibro-staff. It would seem that Prescost had them well equipped and able to kill Jedi. Or, his mind reminded him, viciously, a wandering Sith.

The insects paid him no mind as he walked into the tunnel. He smiled grimly to himself as he walked silently into the darkness. Feeling her presence, he knew Prescost was closed by. Yet, there was something else, an elusive presence that he never felt before. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt a kinship with that other presence.

**II.**

The Imperial Agent stood in the throne room. A frown enveloped her features. While her profession thrived on conflict, the woman hated it. It brought back memories that were better off buried.

"Burr Gurrk Burr," the ant-man told Vector. She presumed he was relating what news they had of Adaki. Prescost knew that the Sith would make it hard for the killiks. He was single-minded when it came to something he wanted. It was one of the reasons she respected the man.

Kyic wailed in her arms. The tiny infant squirmed, sensing the crushing anxiety of her mother.

Dropping her gaze to the baby's face, she marveled at her sanguine skin. This child was the culmination of everything that she could give Adaki. Because of Kyric, she would forever be bound to the Sith. It truly was love that bound people together, she thought.

"Vector," she spoke up, broken from the reverence of her child. Vector was one of only two people she trusted. Perhaps, she trusted him too much. During their time together, Adaki certainly thought so.

Her thoughts briefly centered around her lover. He would see their child as a weakness. She was suppose to die, but Prescost did everything in her power to prevent that. Any parent would do the same for their child, she reassured herself.

Although she did not want to admit it to be true, Adaki was Sith. He eliminated any failure in her lineage. She suppose it was because he had just found out where he came from. Yet, her dealings with Sith taught her the truth. Adaki would always be the way he was. He would always root out feebleness in an effort to crush it.

Would he go so far as to try to kill their daughter? She hated to think that he would, but the man was unpredictable. Kyic was the only person that would make Prescost attack her lover. The woman would protect the child with her life.

"Agent?" the Dawn Herald asked.

"Take Kyic to a safe place. I will need to determine Adaki's purpose before I let him know he has a child."

**III.**

Adaki followed the winding cave through he heart of the mountain as it was honeycombed beneath. Iridescent light shown him the way, but he did not need it. The Force guided him where he needed to step. Larva squirmed, twisting grotesquely inside the golden walls. Bits of clear fluids oozed from the ceiling and dripped in a widening pool of goo on the ground.

He remembered from Prescost's time here that the Killiks had burrowed all the way to House Cortess when she had dealt with the rogue baroness. It was then that the agent had started to show her ruthless nature. Oh, she tried to hold it back, he thought. However, no matter how much she might suppress it, it still lurked there. It dawned on him that she was likely within the house.

Excitement spiked within him. He tried to do his best to crush the joyous feeling. There was an anxiety emitting from Prescost, and he did not know why. Adaki knew that their reunion would not be a good one. Yet, she would come with him by force if necessary.

He emerged from the darkness into the courtyard of the large estate. Killiks moved about busily, obvious to his present. Adaki was happy with it that way. Not doubting that Prescost knew that he was on the planet and that he was coming for her, he didn't want her to know just how close he was or when he would be getting there. That part of it would be a surprise, he knew, bleakly.

Creeping slowly into the throne room, he saw Prescost alone within. As he stared at her, a longing overcame him. He was not prepared for the emotion assaulting him with the strength of a juggernaut.

She had her back turned towards him. Dark hair curled around her neck, resting on her slender shoulders. Translucent cloth garbed her, hinting at the curves and planes of her body that he remembered in his dreams since their parting.

Anger welled up inside of him, shadowing the desire of rushing her. He knew who she dressed like that for. It certainly was not for him. It had to be for Vector. Once more, he wished that he had simply ended the other man's life.

"What are you doing here among the insects?" he asked loudly, announcing his presence while still keeping himself shrouded.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**I.**

Prescost lifted her head and glanced around her. At that moment, she understood that he would come for her. Death would not separate them. With her in-depth study of him, she knew that the Sith viewed those who worked beneath him in a personal or professional relationship as his property.

Many months ago, his possessiveness would have been enough for her. She would have been happy with his limited attention and the rare amorous moments that danger had fostered between them. A hint of hidden emotion was enough to sustain herself. The woman foolishly let herself believe that she loved him enough for both of them.

Presently, she wanted more. To be his mistress, a Sith's whore, was not enough for her. Not anymore. She hungered for something more tangible. For the first time since she was a child, she looked forward to the future. Once she gave birth to their child, Prescost could not settle for a tiny bit of his heart. For her daughter, she had an epiphany. It was all or nothing.

Prescost had glimpses into the soul of her lover. He had a fuse that burnt low. She knew that being Sith allowed him to channel his anger. Yet, she could never guess how evil the man truly was. With her by his side, they murdered some of the most vile people in the galaxy. Adaki had derived some sick pleasure from it, taking intense enjoyment in debasing republic wretches.

There was another side to him. When he thought no one was looking, he could preform certain acts of kindness. Usually, it revolved around her needs and desires. He refused to let his ship droid prepare any meals for her. Despite being forced to prepare food before his life in his Order, he made her food as best as he could. His meals weren't bad, either, she thought.

"Adaki," she purred, allowing herself to bathe in the knowledge that he was there. He had traveled half way around the galaxy to retrieve her. If that did not speak of his affections for her, she could not think what a man could do to express his intentions.

She remembered her first conversation about Sith and their emotions. Through pain, Adaki's master had reminded her that a Sith could make love, but he avoided love. Many thought passion and love were the same thing. It wasn't true. Love, itself, was a dangerous emotion, and most Sith avoided it at all cost. A lover could be turned into a weakness, forcing the man or woman to act when they weren't ready.

In trust, she could understand that rational. As an agent, she dissolved associations with most of her relatives. The only one she kept in contact with was her Uncle Oimu, a very vain man. The only reason for that was he was in intelligence.

She waited for him to make himself known. He would rush to her and take her in his arms. The many months would dissipate in a matter of seconds. Looking forward to it, she waited for him to unmask himself.

For two minutes, they both stayed there. Besides announcing his presence, he did not speak. She had no idea what he wanted.

Two could play his game, she thought to herself. Dropping her hand to her hip, she caressed the small, ebony box in the center of her dark belt. A aqua light pulsated from it, pacing in-tempo with the racing illumination.

Becoming tired of his intimidation, she thought back on their previous relationship. He would use fear to get what he wanted. At the time, she thought it was the Sith way. Now, she was realizing what a bully her lover was. A part of her was becoming disillusioned with him.

She ran her fingers over the button. An ivory translucent cylinder washed over her, enveloping her completely in its aura. Her body blinked rapidly, throbbing with the heat emitting from the device.

Prescost knew it took many years to become a master in the arts of stealth. There were many things that could disrupt the field that the small device generated. It took great concentration to be able to blend into the background to remain unseen by a person's enemies.

Fondly, she remembered her first time using the stealth field generator. Recruits of Intelligence used a very basic version of it. She took a few steps. The device deactivated, and she became quickly exposed to her trainer. If he had been a foe, she would have been quickly cut down. Prescost had never been so embarrassed in her life. She hated to fail.

For Adaki, it was easier. He had the Force that he used to guide him. All, he had to do was wave his hand before him. The world bended to his will. If it did not, he forced it to obey him. She envied his awakened talent. There were many times that she wanted to be able to move about freely and without worrying about anything disrupting her shield.

Stalking around the edges of the throne room, she listened for the tell-tale footsteps that would betray his presence. Every sound that drifted in the lush room was dissected by her mind as she listened for the different nuances that would betray his location.

The sounds of the killiks' clawed footsteps as they walked around the perimeter of the throne room echoed. In the months that passed, the nest had grown considerable in size. While Vector and she were on there, he was busy. New arrivals, both human and not, were admitted into the clan each day. She was glad for them. After all, it would mean that the Empire would take the Killiks more seriously than they have been.

She was proud of everything that Vector had done for his hive. Prescost knew the tiring work her friend had undertook. How often was he awake in the cargo hold, talking to the hive?

There were many times that she had to tell Adaki that there was nothing between the Dawn Herald and herself. She had come to see the man as part of her family. He, not Adaki, brought her clarity in the darkness that consumed her soul. It was a dangerous thought to have, and it seared her mind with its stark truth.

In the distance, she could hear the wailing of an infant. Prescost knew that Adaki would be able to hear as well. He would not think much of it. After all, he knew the killiks were taking in more joiners. The assassin probably assumed that another woman was pregnant. Adaki had no reason to think the child belonged to him.

Still, her lover was silent.

Prescost stopped before the throne. She cocked her head to the side and continued to listen. Months before, the two of them were at that same spot as they sought allies against terrorists. She thought it slightly queer that he was there at that moment and she considered him an enemy. Adaki was her greatest threat, she mused to herself. He was a danger to their child.

"Do you remember what I told you happens to those who betray me?"

How could she forget? He told her constantly what happened to those who jeopardize his wishes. Adaki killed without mercy or consideration. It would be easy for him to dispatch her, move on, and forget her.

To hell with him, her mind screamed in her anger. Heat assaulted her emotions and bubbled beneath her flesh. It exploded like tiny volcanoes, expanding with each thought. For months, she had spent time mourning his death. She had thought him dead, and she knew she would never love another.

However, Adaki was there now. What should have been a joyful reunion was marred into something else. Grief and anger pummeled her calm appearance.

"Damn you!" she hissed, allowing her anger to get the better of her. It was unlike Prescost to show emotion to anyone. She was trained to keep her emotions bottled inside of her as if her body was an impassible boulder. Adaki had always brought that side out in her. "I betrayed you? I am here trying to get over your death! I was not unfaithful to anyone!"

He still did not make himself appear. With each passing moment, she found herself becoming enraged with him.

"I have never experienced grief like I did when I thought you were dead. Well, now I experienced it twice. How could you possibly think that I have been unfaithful to you? I am not the Sith concerned with his powerbase. I love you, you foolish zabrak."

After her harsh diatribe, silence existed between them.

"It's you who is unfaithful to me," she declared, harshly. "You seek to torture me for some reason that I do not understand. Why must you string me along when you are incapable of loving me?"

She should have been shocked at her outburst. The woman had never shone that side to Adaki. In fact, she usually went along with what he wished. Prescost was sure that he was just as shocked.

The woman should have anticipated his answer.

"Just keep dangling that little bit of spice before my nose, and I'll bite."

**II.**

Still hidden from sight, Adaki moved towards Prescost. Though she had enabled the generator on her belt, he knew exactly where she was. He had a natural ability to find weaknesses in a generated stealth field, and he had honed that ability throughout his training. Though they would be barely discernible to the untrained eye, he could see the faint lines surrounding her silhouette.

Fury bristled inside of him, poking his insides as if she had jammed thousands of needles into his flesh. He could not understand her reasoning. How could she even come to the conclusion that she did?

Silently, he walked right up to face her and gripped her chin with his hand. The disturbance deactivated her stealth field, but it also broke his own concentration. He was now visible as well.

She gasped in pain. The sound squeaked out of her, flaming the wrath rolling inside of him. He despised the fact that he cared about her enough to go to the ends of the galaxy to retrieve her. Prescost made him weak and strong at the same time.

"When did I ever say that I was incapable of loving you?" he sneered. He bent his head forward, and his angry face was inches away from hers. The tips of his horns touched the skin of her forehead.

"Don't try to say otherwise," Prescost sneered back. Her upper lips contorted into a visible grimace. She cast her gaze from him and stared at the dark robes covering the musculature of his chest. "I know you don't love me."

"You damn fool," he growled back at her. "You've tried repeatedly to claim that you know so much about me, but the truth is that you don't know a damn thing. I do love you. The fact that you are still breathing is testament to that."

His admission lay between them, and Adaki felt powerful. There was still a twinge of an unknown emotion lurking deep within his heart. He had tried to ignore it, stowing it away as he did any other thing that bothered him. Still, it surged, rolled violently, and colored his thoughts.

Adaki's faced edged closer to her as he tightened the grip on her face. Shadowing the fury he felt inside, crimson raged in his gaze.

"You still do it, Sith," she snarled, quietly. Through the turbulence crashing in her gaze, he could feel the grief welling up inside of her.

He studied the curves of her face in quiet reverence. Adaki wasn't suppose to feel the emotions rolling through him. A part of him feared that she would reject him.

Fear, he thought, bitterly. There was many times that he was suppose to experience that feeling. When he was captured, he did not feel terror for his future. When his master's wife proposition him and he killed her, he felt no alarm over his health. During the trials on Korriban, there was no sense of dread for what he faced.

Now, trepidation over her rejection soaked him to the bone like a heavy rain washing over him. He didn't know what to do. At that moment, he knew that he couldn't go on without loving Prescost. His heart latched onto her like a parasite. Without her, he would surely die.

Bringing his lips down, he crashed them painfully to hers. Adaki groaned his mouth against hers, and he reveled in the metallic, tangy taste in his mouth.

As she moaned against him, he felt the intense need to render pain to her. She should feel like she had made him a few moments ago.

Tiny bits of lightning shot from his fingers, making her gasp beneath his morbid embrace. Prescost wanted him to love her, and she would experience the full depth of his affection. He held pleasure and pain before her and encouraged her to grasp for it hungrily.

After Adaki moved his hand from her chin, it slid downward until it rested on her left breast. In an anticipation that had only grown during their separation, he kneaded it softly, pinching the tender flesh through her thin vestment.

She lifted her arms and looped them around his shoulders.

To his amazement, a small, dark, wet spot spread outward from her nipple. There was something that she was avoiding telling him, and he hated to be kept in the dark. His mind would run away with the things that she could have been hiding.

"What is the meaning of this?" he growled, growing impatient.

Prescost withdrew from him, backing away while refusing to make contact with him. It was clear that she was conflicted about what had happened.

Or, he thought, snidely, she was simply afraid to tell. Prescost was never one to conceal the truth from him. She knew the consequences of such an act. No one, not even her, was safe from his wrath.

"You must promise me," she muttered, "that you will not react violently if I tell you. Remember that I thought you were dead and that I had no other choice."

"Tell me," he seethed.

"First swear!" Prescost barked. It was apparent that she did not fear what he would do to her for ordering him around. She was protecting someone else.

"You show courage in speaking that way to a Sith Lord," Adaki purred. "You are bordering on foolishness, however. Very well, I will hear what you have to say, for now."

**III.**

Prescost squared her chin, lifting her head to face him. She had been betrayed by those she had trusted. Her own sister sold her out to the Republic. Laelithra was the reason she was imprisoned and tortured for so long on Belsavis.

Looking into his fiery gaze, she made a realization. She was not afraid of Adaki. Through all of his maniacal murders, he was only posturing for her. A part of him wanted her to fear him; another part of him was fearful of what she made him feel. Something bonded them together, interlocking them and refusing them separation. Their relationship was like the boughs of a thick forest.

The agent knew another thing to be true. While he simply scorch her with his lightning to show her the place he thought she belonged, she would kill him to protect their offspring. She would not prostrate before him. Prescost was not Sith, and their daughter was for something greater than both of them.

"I do not see you as a Sith Lord," she admitted, sadly.

His eyes narrowed, stretching the blackness of his tattoos around his eyes. Ire rolled off of him as if it were smoke from a burning building.

"I see you as my lover. It's not foolish to view you as that. Would you prefer that I did not? Would you want me to look at you like I do any other Sith Lord instead of my future husband?"

"You're changing the subject," his voice lashed out like the crackle of his saber.. An annoyed expression quickly passed over Adaki's face. "Stop avoiding the question and answer it, or I will become angry."

"I'm not avoiding anything," Prescost replied, innocently. She thought she could subdue him with her guileness, yet she should have known better. "I'm going to tell you."

Adaki sighed in contempt, and he gripped her shirt in a clenched fist. In a violent motion, he ripped the shirt from her, exposing her upper body.

Embarrassment heated her body. It seared inside of her as if it was a roaring inferno. She could hear the chatter of the killiks guarding the throne room. At once, she knew that Vector would hear about it. Was he coming to her aid at that moment?

The Sith Lord's lower lip turned downwards in a vicious snarl. His eyes flashed the malevolence that roiled inside him. In a deliberate show, he pinched her left nipple and pulled on it hard.

A stream of white liquid squirted out onto the floor before her. It splattered onto the ground and spread outward in a minuscule pool. As his eyes widened, she knew he knew.

"You're pregnant," he said, calmly.

"I've been faithful to you," she answered. Prescost was becoming disassociated with the entire event. Numbness overtook her. Thoughts blurred together in a medley of anxiety and fear. She was not frightened for herself but for their child. "Even though I thought you were dead, I've been with no one else."

"Where is my child?" he demanded.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**I.**

As they stood there with her torso exposed and his anger laid bare, Prescost glared up at him. Embarrassment colored her cheeks, reddening them more so than they usually were. Anger churned in the depths of her bright gaze as if there was a looming hurricane threatening to break among the bank of her sanity.

If his ire was not all encompassing, he would have felt a slight wonder in the fact that she scowled at him in such a way. When he held her under his scrutinous gaze, she never shrank away like many others would. She was one of the few that could withstand it. He admired her for it.

Her silence constricted around him, slithering and tightening inside of him like a very large vine snake. It poisoned his thoughts, and he felt an overwhelming urge for to to give him the location of his child. He could not break free.

There were times that he felt completely helpless. During those events, she was the one causing it. Adaki did not know if it was infatuation with her or if it was something deeper. It was strange to him. He liked being alone with her, where he could abandon the ceaseless posturing to some degree. It was a welcomed change of pace to be able to relax somewhat. He was never truly able to let his guard down completely, even when he was alone with her, but some measure of stability was better than none at all. Yet, it was his curse.

He hated her for her ability to make him comfortable. The familiarity scorched the planes of his mind, leaving its permanent impression on him. When he was around her, he felt like she was tearing him apart. Nothing in the Academy on Korriban could have prepared him for the trials that this simple agent placed him through.

His eyes closed into tiny slits until the crimson irises could just barely be seen. Adaki studied her. Still, the fury seethe inside of him, billowing as if the emotion was giant furnace. He could sense the anger and hesitation roiling off of her in waves of beautiful emotion.

Prescost ripped her gaze from his and stared at the floor. She crossed her arms before her and hide her chest from his view. It infuriated him that she had the nerve to keep things from him.

"Tell me!" he boomed, suddenly. The outburst was unusual for him. He personified cold and calculating. Each action he took was deliberate. Adaki was constantly weighing the outcome of events in his mind.

However, Prescost was different. The woman had the ability to get underneath his skin. She clawed him with emotions that perplexed him as if she was a predator and he was her prey. Broad, keen talons of feelings pierced inside of him, lancing the darkness around his heart like a boil.

He activated the saber. The orange blades hissed out aggressively.

She back away from him, taking a few steps backwards. Her rear hit the edge of the throne. Prescost fell into the seat ungracefully.

Adaki grunted, thrusting the blade forward. One of the ends slammed into the plush back of the chair and into the wall. The saber whined angrily.

Her eyes widened as fear lurked deeply in her lustrous orbs. He had wanted to see the terror in her eyes for so long. Strands of her hair floated down from the side of her head. It landed and disintegrated on the top of the orange, radiant blade. On top of her head, tiny bits of debris flowed downward as if it were snowing.

Adaki's eyes narrowed as he looked at Prescost's pitiful expression. He tried to dispute the effect that she had on him within his own mind. Feeling a stab at his heart seeing her so frightened of him, he frowned.

Yes, he had longed to see dread consume her. The agent had tricked him from the moment that they first met. Then, she had the audacity to sneak inside his heart, clutching at sensations that he had long though was dead. There were times that he viewed his emotions for her as weak.

Feeling the weight of his actions crashing down upon him, he sighed. Adaki hated her. It was not so cut in dry. Because of the way she made him love her, he hated her. She made him betray his own thoughts even after he was prepared to give up everything to his Order.

Finally, when he could bear it no longer, he reacted his saber and hooked the hilt back onto his belt.

The piteous look did not leave her face, however. In addition to it, fury clouded her complexion. That he was use to. He could feed off of her anger, taking it into himself. He could not understand the need not to harm her for her insolence.

"I don't want to hurt you, damn it," he growled.

"You're doing a damned fine job of convincing me that," Prescost sneered as she moved backwards in the seat as if to flee from him.

"Prescost," he sighed. "I understand that you thought I was dead, but that is hardly my fault. There is no reason, no justification, for you hiding the events that occurred in my absence from me. I am entitled to know these thins, and I am entitled to see my child."

**II.**

She got over her terror of him rather quickly. He was to be her husband (in her mind), and she knew that she could not spend most of her life afraid of him. The fear would come and go. He was Sith, after all. Prescost relaxed in his admission that he didn't want to hurt her.

Her respect for him grew that day. She had expected her former _master _as little more than a selfish brute. He had no skill in the inner workings of intelligence. Just like the other childish Sith, Adaki was not suppose to be able to deduce her motives.

However, this Sith assassin before her was another beast entirely. He seldom disappointed her. She feared his reaction about their child, but she knew knew that he needed to know.

"Cynthia," she simply said, reaching out and taking his sanguine hand in hers. It amazed her the difference in their skin-tone. Where one was light, the other was dark.

In the future, it would be the cause of tension between others and herself. They would call her a zenophile, a lover of aliens. It was true, though. She did not fear or hate other species. In fact, it was not just a zabrak that she admired. She admired all aliens.

"Cynthia?"

"Yes," she replied. It had been so long since she went by her first name. She had always went by Prescost since her induction into Intelligence. However, she thought that Adaki should at least know that much about her. "My first name is Cynthia."

He did not answer her. She imagined he felt like he was going to faint. There were many things that he had found out that day.

"You have a strong, little girl," she gushed, smiling with a pride that only a parent could have. A part of her twisted in fear, knowing that he would want a boy to continue his lineage.

"A little girl?" he parroted. She knew that it was quite possible that he would faint. Of course, when he learned of her ultimate betrayal, she and her child would be dead.

"Yes, a little girl. I remember you telling me that more horns on Zabraks are a sign of beauty. Your daughter will have many."

"Did you name her?"

"Yes," she replied. "Her name is Kyic."

"After my mother."

"After your mother," she agreed with him. It was funny. There were times when she felt comfortable with Adaki. This was one of those moments where she did not. She wanted to sink into the floor and be miles away.

"Take me to her," Adaki ordered. He took his outer robe off and cast the frock over her shoulders. While it would seem he did this because he cared about her well-being, it was because he did not want any other male to view her naked form.

Prescost was silent. For some reason, she still seemed hesitant to take him to the child. Had he known the truth, then he would have understood her fear.

She had no way of knowing that he knew that their daughter was close by. It explained the strange presence he had felt from the moment he had arrived on Alderaan. Adaki had been aware of his own daughter before he had even known she existed or before Prescost had even mention anything. While he knew what that meant, she did not. Their child was going to be gifted in the Force.

"Very well," Prescost responded finally. She had decided that the best way for him to find out the truth was for him to see it with his own eyes. It was certainly easier than explaining it to him, at any rate.

Sweat trickled down her neck. There was only one time that she was this fearful. It was when her parents were murdered by Republic forces, and she discovered their bodies. His supposed reaction was worse. The reason was simple. She feared for her child and herself.

Again, she knew that if he attempted to hurt the child that she would have to kill him. It wouldn't be the first time that she would have to defend hers. She would do anything to protect Kyic.

Reaching down, she released the strap holding her rifle securely to her back. Adaki was quicker than she was. If she was going to protect their child, then she would have to be faster.

They entered a mostly deserted room. Several killiks made themselves busy fiddling with the various leather straps connected to the ceiling. Even in the many months she was surrounded by them, she still had no idea what the objects were for. At that point, she stopped caring.

A small wail came from the bassinet in the center of the room. She knew that it was time for him to realize the truth about their child. All she could do was pray that he had some tiny amount of compassion inside of him.

**III.**

Silently, Adaki approached the bassinet. He inched up beside it. His heart pounded in his chest. A queer sensation shot through him. Nothing in his life had prepared him for that moment. Every tomb he faced on Korriban, every mission that his master tasked him with, and even the mounting war, itself, paled in comparison to the emotions surging through him.

Adaki wondered if other fathers felt the way he did. A minute ago, he was sure of his purpose. He knew he would use his master until he had no need of her anymore. Presently, he was unsure of the future. This infant had changed all of his goals.

Wrapping his hands around the edge of the basket, he gripped it tightly. His knuckles turned white as if the entire world shook underneath him. He peered over the lip and looked down upon the swaddled infant.

She was smaller than the average zabrak, a product from being half-human. Still, the markings of his race was there. Tiny nubs on top of her head would become horns, heralding important events that the child would undertake in her life. Despite her size, she looked very strong. Kyic opened her eyes and looked at him, however.

Adaki almost fell backwards. The bassinet shook under his sudden movement as if a sudden gale had infiltrated the room. Even as Kyic squawked as if she was a tiny bird and her eyes squinted together in fury, he could not pull his gaze away from her eyes.

They were almond shaped and large for a zabrak. He had presumed they were that size because of her mother. Prescost had beautiful, blue eyes. It was one of the things that had drawn Adaki to her.

Still, that was not what caused his surprised. Her gaze was dark, devoid of any whiteness. He could barely make out the iris. It was as if an inky film coated her the sockets.

"What the hell is the meaning of this!" he boomed, turning his fiery gaze at Prescost.

"I didn't have a choice," Prescost stammered. In a heated display, she held up her hands to try to stop his advance.

Of course, she would, he thought to himself. The woman had begged him not to become angry. He should have seen it then.

"She would have died if I hadn't done that. There was no other option."

"No other option!" Adaki mocked as ice coated his tone. Ire blanketed his vision red. The only thing he saw was his daughter and her ebony gaze. "So you let them join her! You let them turn my daughter into a bug? If she wasn't strong enough to live, then you should have let her die! That is a better option that turning her into a freak! What's next? Are you going to be joined? I think you've been spending far too much time with Vector."

"How could you say such a thing?" she hissed as if he had physically struck her.

His stomach flopped queasily. Adaki was not thinking straight. Everything was crashing down upon him at once, and the world spun before him. He would not faint; he would take this in stride.

"Once I thought you could be more than a Sith. I thought a part of you was good and slightly compassionate. I thought you were a man. Obviously, I was wrong. The one and only thing that matters to you is power. It's not family," she whispered, heatedly.

His lips twitched in a snarl. Because of what he was, nothing he had done would be classified as good. He thought she would have learned that by now. Obviously, not.

"You are no better than Jadus."

Adaki's first urge was to snatch Prescost by the throat and to chock the life out of her. Yet, he held himself back. That would only prove her point, and he would regret it later. He did not understand how this pathetic woman could become one of the most beautiful things in the galaxy. Instead of hurting her, he simply glared at her. Coldly.

"I fail to see how that makes me anything like Jadus," he growled.

"All you care about is power," Prescost shot back. She was the only one who stood up to him. He had yet to decide if she was stupid or merely brave. At that moment, he would wager on her being foolish.

He lifted his hand and rubbed his chin. Through the forest of confusion, he tried to find his way.

"If something is not strong enough to survive on its own, then it should die. If something doesn't add to your powerbase, then it is useless to you and you discard it. You probably think its my fault that I was captured, that I was weak. Should I have died then? How long until you no longer have a need of me? Will you simply cast me aside? Hmm?"

Adaki looked away, trying to hide the way that her words affected him. He pinched his lips together in a grim line, set his chin firmly, and turned away from her.

What she spoke was the truth. If he did not feel for her, he would have cut her down long ago. There were times when his emotions for her had placed him in danger. Plus, it wouldn't be too long before other ambitious Sith figured out his affections for Prescost and use her against him in their search for power.

"I see that you have been fine in my absence, thinking I was dead," he said over his shoulder. The words burned in his mouth, purging from his body as if they were streams of vomit.

Prescost's intake of air mixed with the howls coming from the infant. Each cry and sigh tightened around him, threatening to suffocate him.

"You can just keep on as you were, if that's easier for you. I love you. Either you believe that, or you don't. I'm not going to stand here, among the killiks, and try to convince you."

As he began to walk away, a part of him foolishly hoped that she would stop him. Hope beat in his heart, fluttering with each breath. He tried to kill that emotion as he did with every sensation that she inspired within him.

"Apparently," he called over his shoulder, "you didn't miss me one iota."

**IV.**

She heard the acid in his voice and the bitter refusal to see the truth of her words. Adaki was still young in the ways of life. Prescost was more experienced in the ways of the world. She had experienced other men long ago. Well, relationship wise, at least, she thought to herself.

"I did not miss you one iota?" she breathed out, feeling the words sting her flesh. She looked quickly away and tried to pretend that they did not hurt. Prescost could not. "When I thought you were dead, I was in such excruciating agony. I didn't want to live anymore. Without you, I have nothing."

Reaching down, she picked up their child. This little girl was the hope of everything. She was her connection to Adaki, the man she loved. He swore that he loved her. It was not enough for her. not anymore.

She brought her gaze up and locked it on his back. "I was ecstatic when I found out that I was with your child. Though our child, I would always have a connection with you. Yes, you can call it selfish and pathetic. I just wanted her to remember you. Then, she came too early. None of the medical droids in the city could save her. Nothing I could have done. I could not lose your child after I lost you. Vector told me that his hive could probably help her. I almost died bringing her into this world. It was worth it and still is worth it."

"And she is never going to know a life outside of the slavery of being a joiner," Adaki seethed. "I was subjected to slavery, you know that. Living in chains, literal or not, is no life at all."

"She will be given a choice when she is older," Prescost tried to assure him. It was a lie. She always was able to think quickly on her toes. At least, that was what her Uncle had always told her. Of course, that trait was welcomed in an agent. Because of her numerous identities, it helped to be able to come up with lies quickly.

A slight pain burst from her heart, overtaking most of her sanity. She did not expect the remorse from lying to Adaki. It shocked her that it was not easy to bend the truth with him.

"They will give her the option of choosing whether to remained joined or to be unjoined and leave the hive. Vector assured me of that. He was joined willingly, you know. Not every hive on Alderaan joins people against their wills."

"And just what do you think she is going to choose?" he countered. "After a lifetime of brainwashing, of course she is going to choose to remain with the hive. She might as well be given no choice at all. It's just an illusion, a 'promise' to appease you."

"I don't believe that," she stated steadfastly. "I understand that it is difficult for you to trust, but the only one you need to trust is me. I believe that they will truly give her the choice, and I believe that she will choose whatever is best for her. In the meantime, she will grow up strong. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Very well," Adaki sighed. "I am holding you accountable for what happens. If she chooses to stay with these insects, then you will pay the price for your foolishness when that time comes. Until that time, I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Take it, or leave it."

There was nothing that Prescost could do. She would bide her time to figure out a way to pacify Adaki. As he learned more about his daughter, he would come to love her. Prescost knew it was only a matter of time.


End file.
